'The Acolyte' star: Asians need a Tom Cruise of their own

"Star Wars" actor Manny Jacinto argued that there aren't enough Asian people in Hollywood movies and therefore people should write more stories for their own races.

Jacinto, who has starred in the heavily criticized "Star Wars" series "The Acolyte," reflected on his time filming "Top Gun: Maverick" in an interview with GQ.

He commented on how the majority of his lines were left on the cutting room floor, an outcome he generally connected to the idea that producer and star Tom Cruise is making movies for white people.

'At the end of the day, Tom Cruise is writing stories for Tom Cruise.'

"It's flattering that there was a little bit of an outcry, but it wasn't shocking to me," Jacinto said regarding his reduced role in the film.

"There was this sense of where the film was going [on set], like I can see them focusing the camera more on these [other] guys and not taking so much time on our scenes. Fortunately, it still was a great experience — you get to see this huge machine at work, see how Tom Cruise works, and you get to be a small part of this huge franchise," he explained.

Jacinto said an experience like that "fuels you" because "at the end of the day, Tom Cruise is writing stories for Tom Cruise."

"It's up to us — Asian-Americans, people of color — to be that [for ourselves]. We can't wait for somebody else to do it. If we want bigger stories out there, we have to make them for ourselves."

"The Acolyte" seemingly meets those diversity initiatives, according to Jacinto, who said he felt that actors of his race in the "Star Wars" series proved to be meaningful.

"I know there are plenty of 'Star Wars' fans that look like you and me already [in 'The Acolyte']," he told GQ's writer, who is also Asian. "But it's exciting that in this new iteration we have Lee Jung-Jae, myself, Amandla [Stenberg], [and] Jodie Turner-Smith," he added. "Even more people of color will be able to relate to and celebrate and see themselves in this entity that is 'Star Wars.'"

"Star Wars" projects that were released during Jacinto's youth — Episodes I-III — were most certainly diverse, but apparently not to the degree that Jacinto found satisfactory.

"I remember watching all of the movies with my parents growing up, [but] if I'm completely transparent with you, ['Star Wars'] was cool, it was something I admired, but almost from afar. Maybe because I didn't see anybody like me in 'Star Wars,' it was never something I aspired to be in, the way I'd watch a Jackie Chan film or something and go, 'Oh, I want to do that.'"

Creator George Lucas addressed this issue of diversity and representation at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

"They would say, 'It's all white men,' [but] most of the people are aliens!"

"The idea is you're supposed to accept people for what they are, whether they're big and furry or whether they're green or whatever. The idea is all people are equal," he continued, per the Independent. "In the first [movie] there were a few Tunisians who were dark, and in the second one I had Billy Williams, and the [prequels], which they were also criticizing, I had Sam Jackson. He wasn't a scoundrel like Lando. He was one of the top Jedi."

Fending off more criticism, Lucas also addressed complaints that the women in his films appeared too typically feminine.

"You can't just put a woman in pants and expect her to be a hero. They can wear dresses; they can wear whatever they want," he said, noting that female characters were the drivers of the films.

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